Paths
by FearandLoathingXIX
Summary: There is always more than one path to take in life, but for Shin and Kumiko some seem more 'inescapable' than others.
1. Part one

So Gokusen is taking over my mind. First the anime, then the drama (this is drama-based as it's the one I prefer) now fic.

I had quite a lot of trouble with this initally, but I hope it's come out mildly understandable (as the style is different and rather choppy).

EDIT! Hey, I just looked through this and realized they took out all my storybreakups! Noooooooo :(

* * *

_There is always more than one path to take in life, you just have to look for them._

* * *

People who knew Yamaguich Kumiko's background, but not her, would remark that it wasn't surprising a woman from _such a family_ would have an affair with one of her students. Someone with such a 'poor grasp of right and wrong' obviously wouldn't understand that it was immoral to take advantage of a impressionable young man in _that way_.

People who actually knew Yankumi would burst out laughing at the notion that she had a 'poor' grasp of right and wrong, and people who knew Sawada Shin would go into hysterics at the notion of anyone actually managing to take advantage of him.

* * *

Although he wasn't really the most _willingly_ enthusiastic person, there were three things that genuinely angered Sawada Shin enough to break his usual demeanour: people he cared about getting into trouble they couldn't handle, interaction with his parents, and being treated like a child.

To be fair there were various other little things that got to him, like when Yankumi avoided questions she didn't want to answer or lied to the class about why she was 'late' to homeroom, but only when one of the _big three_ was involved would he be riled enough to really lose it.

However, when _all_ _three_ of them came down on him at once… it wasn't advisable to be in the area.

* * *

"It is not possibly to convey how disappointed we are in you." His father said icily from the other side of the room, his wife perched (as usual) next to him as still and silent as a waxwork, "As if you hadn't brought enough shame on our family."

"I wasn't thinking about the family." Shin replied dully as he lounged across a sofa he remembered playing on as a child, and considered how far he'd fallen since that time, "If I had then…"

"_When_ exactly _had_ you been planning on telling us for that matter?" his father cut back in before his son could even finish the sentence, making him scowl and shift his gaze back to the wall, "instead of letting us find out on some sleazy…"

"I hadn't been intending at all." Shin said flatly, finally registering some level of emotion flickering up in his mother's face at his dead tone, "I don't consider it your business who I…"

"Of course it is our business!" his father suddenly snapped, sitting forwards and smacking his hand against the arm of the sofa, "it's our business every time we see you on the television or in the papers dishonouring the family! As you seem to be able to find _new_ ways of doing it all the time!"

* * *

Yamaguichi Kumiko ran through the dark streets with a frantic expression on her face, cursing herself for not remembering the address of Shin's family home. She knew it was close to his apartment, but the exact location seemed to be evading her right in her time of need.

As she pulled out her bunches she caught sight of a man in uniform standing on a street corner. He wasn't a cop by the looks of it, more likely a security guard, or even traffic control. But never mind who he was, he'd still be able to help her find the damn place.

"Excuse me sir!" She cried as she ran up to him, then quickly leant over and braced her arms against her legs as she caught her breath, "could you… please… direct me… to… the Sawada residence?" She panted.

The guard stared at her for a few seconds, then slowly raised a hand to point just around the corner, where another guard stood a few meters down reading a paper.

"Uh, this is it, Lady," he said tentatively, then added a little more sternly, "you got business there?" After all, you couldn't just let _any_ strange tracksuit-clad women stroll into a senator's house. Not unless you wanted to get fired.

* * *

She _can_ read his moods better than most people, but in all honesty it's like she's been given a set of goggles and they're all swimming in tar, because whatever differences there _are_ they're still impossible to predict, let alone control.

* * *

"Oi oi, Yankumi!" Ucchi taunted as 3-D's teacher burst through the door in a great hurry, ten minutes late and rather red in the face, "who's the late one now?"

"Yeah," added Minami with a grin, "how are you supposed to set an example for us 'precious students' when you can't even be bothered to turn up for lessons on time!" In no time the class had disintegrated into uproar, until Yankumi finally managed to get a word in over her students.

"Hey! Hey! Calm down guys!" she pleaded against the din, eventually having to slip in a sharp "Shut-the-hell-up!" before they stopped chattering and actually _listened _to her.

"_Well?_ Where were you?" Ucchi cheekily demanded, followed by several enforcements of the same question from the rest of their gang. Had she not already looked somewhat nervous and edgy some students might've noticed their teacher becoming distinctly flustered at this question, but the most observant student of her class had yet to turn up, and she was saved.

"Me?" she stuttered, "I…well…"

* * *

"Just…_think_ about the example you are setting for your sister," his mother pleaded in a lowered tone, while his father glowered across the room and attempted to regain control of the notorious Sawada temper.

"If I was thinking about my sister when I did it then there would be something very wrong with me." Shin announced coolly, and smirked as his father's face broke back into an expression of complete fury.

* * *

"I need to speak to Sawada-san," Yankumi told the guard hopefully, "so… I would be very grateful if you could let me in for just a few minutes." The guard raised his eyebrows under the brim of his hat and straightened his posture.

"Is he expecting you?" He asked sternly.

"Um… well…" she babbled, "Not exactly…" unsurprisingly, the man was just about to send her on her way when Yankumi realized she was on the road out and came up with a new line.

"His son is visiting Sawada-san, isn't he?" she suddenly sprang on the guard, who, having let Shin-san in just an hour earlier knew very well that the Senator's son was inside explaining himself to his father.

"Well," he started, "yes…"

* * *

"I overslept!" Yankumi blurted clumsily, only to receive jeers from her 'precious students' as the door behind her swung open and the last tardy member of 3-D arrived.

"Shin!" the gang roared, while Shin himself sent a very poignant look towards his teacher who immediately averted her gaze and turned back towards the class with a panicky air.

"And my bus was late!" she cried, "with a flat tyre!" more boos and jeering proceeded while Shin could almost be seen to scowl as he ambled over to his desk.

"Yo, Shin," said Kumai as his friend took a seat, "you're early today."

"Hmph," was the only reply Shin offered as he stared at Yankumi elaborating on her tale of broken motors and 'sudden, localised earthquakes' along the bus routes this morning.

"She was late too," Kumai remarked innocently, "some crazy story 'bout…"

"She's lying." He interrupted, "all of it's bullshit." Shin's glare only got meaner as Yankumi added flash flooding into her 'heroic battle to make it to school on time to tutor her precious cutesy students' and Kuma glanced between the two in confusion.

"Huh?" he said as Shin's face went down into his arms for his morning nap, and Yankumi tried to end the subject of 'why she was late' before her story fell _completely _to pieces.

"She was in on time." Shin muttered to himself, and rubbed his sleeve across the corner of his mouth in irritation, he knew only a _complete _idiot wouldn't lie about it, but it annoyed him to hear _her_ doing it more than he'd expected, "… because I was kissing the wrong person if she wasn't."

* * *

Hurrah! More to come, and I promise in the end it will all make sense :P

Leave a review if you would, as I'll be ever-so pleased.


	2. Part two

:D updated!

Thankyou to all readers and reviewers, you have made me feel ever-so welcome to the Gokusen fandom and I have it on good authority (my own) that another 2/3-shot fic is on the way. (Based on the Onsen part of the Drama special.)

* * *

--

* * *

"You better start taking this seriously!" Shin's father bellowed, "You don't seem to understand how important this matter is!"

"_You_don't understand how important this matter is!" Shin spat back, "you are ignoring _everything_ important and just worrying about your own stupid ego!… Not that that's a surprise," he muttered as he slumped back into his seat and threw out his moment of anger; showing emotion to these people was practically too good for them.

"Ah… Sawada-sama?" a man said quietly as he tapped the inside of the doorframe, "there is a woman at the gates wanting to see your son."

* * *

"Sawada Shin?" Yankumi echoed the guard shakily, "oh… well… I'm his…" Truth be told with the gossip running wild and their being out of school hours, she didn't really know what to call herself in relation to him anymore, as nothing ever sounded quite right.

She could try 'friend' and risk being turned away, or she could attach the perilous 'girl' to the beginning and hope for the better… although there was always the classic 'homeroom teacher', but with tales running as they were that might have rather unfavourable implications.

"You either know him or you don't lady," the guard sighed, "and if you can't come up with one good…"

"I'm his!" she stuttered, still pinballing between whatever the hell they were to one another now, "I'm… _umm_…" The guard had rolled his eyes when she suddenly came out with, "Could you please just go and tell him Yamaguichi Kumiko is here to speak with him?"

The guard scratched the back of his head and tried to think why that name seemed familiar to him, then under what was becoming an increasingly desperate look decided it couldn't hurt to go and warm up inside for a few minutes while he repeated a name to his boss.

* * *

He brought up the 'late' incident later that evening when she was threatening to kill him with her cooking once more, and after she'd dodged the question about five times he finally got annoyed and started flicking bits of burnt 'thing' at her across the table.

"You didn't need to make up such a lame excuse," he berated, "they probably wouldn't even care or believe you if you…"

"Tell them the truth?" she stepped in, "I've already nearly lost my job once, Shin, it's better to play it safe than go around…"

"You think they'd snitch on you?" he shot back, "surely you know us better than that." She finally resigned to the fact that dinner wasn't going to be consumable and stood up with the bowls while kicking a takeaway menu over to him.

"Yes, of course I know," she groaned as she dumped her 'food' in the trash and snatched up her phone to call in their orders, "but it's not good practice to let all the ground members know boss-level information, even if you are assured of their loyalty." Shin began to smirk as more and more of her dialect slipped into speech: she really was Yakuza through and through.

"I mean, how can you control it if someone eavesdrops on you?" she said rhetorically, "or they could let it slip by accident to some yagai… or it might be tortured out of them…" she was quickly broken from this line by laughter, as Shin attempted to picture anyone actually torturing his classmates in order to find out why their homeroom teacher was _really _late into lessons one morning when he decided she really _was _cute with bunches.

* * *

He knows _exactly _how tough she is, so doesn't have any moral issues with pushing and pulling her around when he wants to. One the first count she can stand up and take a punch to the face without flinching, so a little bump up against a wall is hardly going to shatter her, and on the second count if she wanted to she could turn the tables at any moment… she is still no match for him and knows it thoroughly.

And she's yet to raise an objection to a little rough handling anyway, perhaps it's still a hangover from Shinohara's constant cordiality and gentleness, which, once she _had_, suddenly seemed just a little less exciting than what she'd imagined. Or perhaps it's simply from growing up surrounded by tough men whose very business is in 'if you want it take it.'

Although, those men might just be rubbing off on him as well, because he seems to be doing it a lot these days as well.

* * *

She usually laughed at people who found out about her relationship with her student and went straight on to preach at her, because once you've heard one speech you've heard them all.

'What you are doing is wrong', 'it isn't right' and more things classed as 'immoral', 'forbidden' or 'against our society' brought a smile to her face, because they simply didn't know.

They didn't realize that it was worse to deny a love, especially one that was requited, than to reject it based on arbitrary rules laid down by old men in suits who knew neither herself or Shin. Nor were they able to understand that they were both just individuals who'd fallen in love, but who also happened to be teacher and student… they always seemed to think there was some sort of sordid, deluded thrill they were chasing.

Neither could they feel how right and normal it felt just laying around his apartment in one of his t-shirts, eating leftover takeaways they'd forgotten about the night before when her cooking had failed yet again.

They simply didn't _know _was the be-all-end-all of it, so she just would smile secretly to herself whenever she ended up on the end of yet another morality speech.

* * *

"Yankumi," said Shin with an emotion rarely bore, nervousness, as he blocked her way off the roof and shoved his hands in her pockets.

"Yes Shin?"

"I have something I need to tell you."

* * *

"What woman?" Shin's father inquired tersely, eyeing his son suspiciously as the guard shuffled into the room, "did she give you a name?"

"Yamaguichi Kumiko." The bodyguard replied, and while both generations of the Sawada males groaned: one was in remorse for the state of his son's affairs, while the other was inwardly cursing the dense forwardness of his homeroom teacher.

Shin's father watched his son's unchanging expression for a few moments, and then with an official air told the guard to 'show her in'.

Shin began to curse the day he ever confessed to Yamaguichi Kumiko.

* * *

I am enjoying this oddly written thing of mine, it's amazingly easy to write because whenever I get stuck I can just put in a line and go on to something else XD

Reviews are muchly apreciated and light a fire under my ass :P


	3. Part three

Oh my god! Could it be? Yes it could! An update!

Wow, so I was reminded recently how much I love this show, and seeing myself still on the first page with this here do-dat realized I have an obligation to continue and help this undernourished fandom get the obsessive love it needs.

Beginning to push the ratings barrier, but :P it's how I roll.

* * *

"Yankumi…" Shin muttered with his eyes anywhere but on his teacher.

"Yes, Shin?" She replied brightly, ducking down to cross his eye line and grinning like the idiot she was at him.

"I… you-…" he stammered, but the sudden sound of Noda, Minoru and Ucchi chasing Kumai up the stairs broke his concentration and Sawada had all the graces to mutter, "youknowhatnevermindreallyit'snothing" before bolting down the hallway, not to be seen anywhere for the rest of the day.

Yankumi wondered naively what it was that was bothering him so, but expected he'd tell her whenever he was ready to.

* * *

He knows very well that it's not particularly nice or especially romantic, but Shin _loves _seeing Kumiko cry.

He believes 'normal' etiquette when seeing the woman you love cry is to do something like wrapping her up delicately in your arms and whispering softly and sweetly in her ear until her fragile tears dry and then you carry her, never mind… to date he hasn't managed it past the first step.

The way it goes when Yankumi cries, which being as passionate as she is is in _no way_ unheard of, is at first all he can do is just stare; watching tears running down her face, until he can't _stand _it anymore and has to leap up from wherever he is and grab her so hard he might break a lesser woman. From that point onwards things are all more or less a blur of his mouth and hands on anything and everything he can reach. Tears are absorbed into the heat of breath and skin, and any sobs are very quickly made into gasps.

Because he realizes it's probably not normal or healthy either, but seeing her cry also turns him on.

_A lot._

* * *

"Did you say something, Shin?" Kumai asked inquisitively after Shin had mumbled something into his arms about Yankumi and her lateness on this wednsday morning, and Shin would've liked nothing more than to stand up and say 'I said I know Yankumi wasn't really late this morning because I ran into her in the stairwell ten minutes ago, and by 'ran into' I mean pushed up against a wall and kissed stupid (at least stupider than she already is) and so her being late is all _my _fault, and all this about earthquakes and busses is complete bullshit.'

However, he knew what sort of consquences he'd earn from doing something like that, and really wanted to be able to push Yankumi against a wall and kiss her senseless _more _than he wanted people to know about it, so instead muttered an evasive "na, nothing," to Kumai and carried on, as they always did - like there really was nothing going on between this student and his homeroom teacher.

* * *

Shin groaned when she stormed in through his parents hallway looking like the wild, Yakuza upstart she was, because judging by his father's tone of argument she really wasn't going to be a great help.

"Sawada-san," she professed as she bowed deeply, which was when he noticed she'd undid her hair, "I have come here to…"

"I know exactly what you've come here to do!" his father bellowed, "to further incriminate my son!"

The use of a word relating to something 'criminal' made Shin shudder and dread what was coming next, as he knew all too well what that reaction would be from her.

"Incriminate?" Yankumi echoed forebodingly, "Incriminate? No," she spat as her diction suddenly slid and the telltale Yakuza speech jumped into her voice, "I am here to speak the truth to you, Sawada-san, because I'll be _f--ked_ if I let you judge me without knowing all the facts."

* * *

Yamaguichi Kumiko's paranoid rant about the ill effects of letting 3-D know 'about her and Shin' were causing the latter such uncharacteristic _laughter _that she actually had to hang up on the takeaway service because of the noise. It was almost scary.

"Yankumi!" he groaned as he held his stomach and doubled over, still in fits of hysterics, "what the _hell _are you talking about?" she stopped and glared at him defensively, recounting her trail of speech and realizing that perhaps the possibility of gangsters torturing 3-D for information about them was about as likely as the vice-principal suddenly growing a spine.

However she didn't think he had to be so _mean _about it, so deliberately 'lost' their takeaway menu... into the bin.

* * *

The first time they had sex was _a, _his first time full-stop, and_ b_, the single most terrifying experience of Shin's life – worse than all the beatings, threats, and even those odd gangsters who tried to kidnap him. Worse than all of them _put together._

_He _put it to any rational person with a _normal _set of preservation instincts to go about losing their virginity with an older, very strong and dangerous (but loveable) woman _in her own house _while her _family of **gangsters**_ went about their daily business in the rooms around them.

"Ojou? Do you want some tea?" Tetsu inquired through the door, while Shin was attempting to take off what had l_ooked like the world's simplest clothes_ when they'd been at school, without ripping or tearing anything… and finding it _annoyingly _difficult.

"No thanks, I'm fine!" Yankumi yelled back, trying not to sound too 'breathy' or alternatively start giggling as Shin's clumsy hands clambered all over her.

"What about Shin-san?" came the reply, "would he like anything to drink while you pray at your parents shrine?" Shin shuddered suddenly and crawled up Yankumi to darkly mutter in her ear 'did she really _have _to give that as their cover story?'

"He's fine too!" she squealed as his bare arm looped around her waist and dragged her further down the bed, "he's doing just _great_!"

'Great?' Shin reflected a safe amount of time after the event, when they were both dressed and done with any 'praying' for the rest of the day: _he was scared shitless, _trying to do that while imagining what a single member of the Ooedo clan would do to him if they'd walked in on it.

Afterwards he insisted they go to his place whenever they wanted to do _that_, and despite agreeing to it in name (and name only, being the stubborn woman she was) Yankumi always managed to find a way of getting around him if she so desired.

* * *

Shin's father sat back in his seat and places both hands flat on his knees, staring Yamaguichi Kumiko straight in the eye and not even sparing a glance at his son – he had bigger fish to fry now.

"Go on then," he told her condescendingly, "let me have it."

Yankumi just glared at him for what felt like far too long.

"Very well, Sawada-san," she hissed, "what I think you are doing is making blunt assumptions based on rumours, and that you don't actually give a _shit_ about what Shin thinks or feels in this because all _you _can think about is _your _reputation – and you know it really isn't surprising Shin doesn't trust adults, because you've never given him a _f--king_ ounce of it yourself, have you?"

The senator stared back at Yankumi in the perfect opposite of her fiery stance, and ignorant of a sigh of exasperation from his son on the couch said as cool as ice.

"Forgive me for asking, but what does any of that have to do with you f--king my son?"

Shin actually felt Yankumi's heart skipping a beat.

* * *

He knew that when _he _was in a mood it was bad enough, but if he was already pissed off as hell and then _she'__d_ had her crank wound in the worst possible way then 'sparks flying' would be the understatement of the damn year.

* * *

"I can't believe he threw us out of the f—king house!" She screamed blindly, slamming a fist into a wall and subtly alerting the neighbouring security guards.

"He was going to from the moment he let them bring you in," Shin muttered despondantly, "he just wanted to humiliate you. He didn't give a shit about hearing you or me out from the beginning."

"Ahhhhuuuugh!" She screamed again, landing another fist on the brick wall right over the last set of marks on her knuckles she made, causing Shin to realize she might properly hurt herself if he let her carry on, "I just can't believe he wouldn't even…Ahhh!"

Just as she swung at the wall again he grabbed her from behind and span her, light as ever she was in his arms, then slammed her back against the wall and pressed both of his hands over hers to stop her hitting anything again.

"Getting pissed off about it isn't going to solve anything," he told her, "all you will achieve is…"

"Shut up Shin I'm trying to think." She spat carelessly; fiery eyes somewhere else entirely as she tried to work out a way of making a wolf like 'Sawada-sama' see sense.

And if there was one thing Shin hated it was being talked to like a kid – even if it _was _by his teacher.

"_Don't_!" he hissed as he pressed his body forwards and forced himself hard against Yankumi, her chest heaving against his as the relief of their bodies created unimaginable friction, "-talk to me like that, _Kumiko_." He continued darkly, a deep undercurrent of emotion taking over his eyes as their breath mixed. Now he could practically _taste_ her on his tongue.

* * *

Yamaguichi Kumiko hated the fact that whenever Shin called her by her first name it always sent a rush of heat between her legs, absolutely _regardless_ of where they were or who they were with.

It was frightening that he had that much power over her.

* * *

(Fans self) uhhhh, so yeah, this is what happens when I write at 1am after watching every kiss scene Matsumuno Jun (Shin's J-drama actor) has ever been in O.o.

Oh well, I hope you enjoyed it anyway :D

Every time a fangirl leaves a review, an angel gets its wings XD


	4. Part four

Dear god! Updated! (Well I just started reading the manga, and it got me all inspired.)

Hopefully I might get some more inspiration from the manga-verse of Gokusen, and this may be a little sloppy but um it's what I got :)

Pish to continuity, this fic was never about continuity.

* * *

It amazed Yankumi that Sawada Shin _always _smelt good.

Not usually, or mostly, or 'in general'.

Always.

-When she walked by his desk during class and caught the faint mix of aftershave and washing powder from his shirts.

-When he had been laying down on the riverbank for hours and smelt of wet grass and rain

-Even when he'd been sparring with Kyo for hours and was drenched in sweat… somehow he could _still_ smell attractive in some way or the other.

He didn't always smell _nice_, per say…

Just…

…_good._

* * *

The words hung in the air.

_"Forgive me for asking, but what does any of that have to do with you f--king my son?"_

Shin saw her face freeze, and she licked her lips as her mouth dried out. He hadn't wanted her to come; he would've been able to handle this on his own.

It wasn't that he was afraid of what _she _might've done to his father. Well… _it was, _a bit.

But not _entirely_, another of the reasons he hadn't told her about this little father-son 'meeting' was simply because she wasn't used to how _cruel_ he could be.

He didn't want her getting hurt.

* * *

"Oi, Sawada!" Yankumi bellowed across the classroom one average school-day, waking Shin up from his day-dreamy stupor "you should concentrate more, see me after class."

The rest of 3-D immeadietly started 'ooing', but Yankumi was in Yakuza mode and had to stop herself flipping them all off and instead settled for barking 'shaaaduuup!' at them all.

Forty minutes later, when the rest of 3-D fled the room as if fractions were actually chasing them out, Shin got up from his desk in a leisurely fashion and wandered to the front.

"What then, Yan-Ku-mi?" he asked, leaning forwards and practically breathing down her neck, "what did you want to have this secret 7th period with me for?" She rose slowly, and their faces grew dangerously close, so that she was only a whisper away.

He didn't mean to, but Shin licked his lips.

"You should pay more attention to your lessons, Shin." She said conceitedly and took a generous step back, ruining every sordid cinematic that had been taking place in her student's mind.

"If the other students see you ignoring me then you'll encourage them to do the same." She continued happily as he groaned and walked out the door.

"You're a role model to them whether you like it or not!" She bellowed out the door after him.

He stopped a few steps down the corridor and backed up, leaning in the door and quickly clipping, "mine?" in a hushed tone.

"After work." She replied without even moving her lips, "I can shop on the way over and co-"

"I'll order takeout."

"SAWADA!" The scream was heard throughout the entire school.

* * *

He was fascinated the first time he saw her back.

Like all Yakuza, she was tattooed. Heavily.

He thought he'd see it when they went on beach trips with the school or during that unfortunate Onsen trip, but she was a careful woman and the only time she would show her markings were during intimacies.

He traced his finger along the wings of an eagle, talons bared, apparently preying on a vicious-looking serpent, the ink was not as fresh and clear as relatively new tattoos were, so he gathered she must've had it done in her teenage years.

Brave, as always.

"What does it mean?" he said quietly, his bare legs tucked to the side as he slouched over his drowsy lover.

"Means f--k off and let me sleep, Shin." She groaned and he smiled and leant over to let his forehead rest against the base of her neck.

"Over the top, don't you think?" he teased.

"Our sort don't really do subtle," she retorted, "if you hadn't already gathered that." He turned his head to kiss her skin lightly and felt the ridges of the ink as he trailed his lips down her back.

"Eagle is wisdom, serpent is cunning." She clipped, "the sun means if you're still talking by the time the real one rises I'll cut you."

He just _loved_ her when she was grumpy.

* * *

She eventually had to admit she was just a little neurotic due to her upbringing.

Even now, when a teacher from their school would mean more trouble than a cop, she still jumped a mile whenever she heard a whistle or siren, and half the time he had to tackle her to stop her running off.

"Yankumi!" Shin groaned once when he'd chased her under a bridge and pinned her to a wall to stop her going and jumping in the river, "Just _relax_, would you?" She shrugged and squirmed under his hands.

"I can't help it, she whined. Old habits die hard."

* * *

He could see, he could see he'd upset her.

Yankumi, near-invincible Yankumi, had been struck with a clean hit.

It was like he'd been punched himself.

"…S-Sawa…" she stuttered, and every hitch was just more reason for him to want to jump up and grab her hand and run from this place. She stopped and calmed herself.

"Sawada-san." She said coolly, "I realize why you are distressed." Shin's father went to interrupt her but she silenced him with a gesture.

"But it doesn't shame me to say that I love Shin," his heart flipped.

"'Love you too, Kumiko." He said unabashedly and was relieved to see a slight smile on her face.

"How does becoming the 4th Kumichou sound to you?" it was suddenly like his father wasn't there anymore, as if just by admitting what they both knew all along, they were unstoppable.

"Terrifying."

"Good, it'll suit you then." It was at this point Shin's father snapped under the irritation of being ignored.

"Toya! Throw this gangster out of my house! He bellowed as the guard lunged forwards and Yankumi dodged him expertely,

"I was about to leave anyway, Sawada-san," she bowed, "goodbye." She bowed and turned on her heels, walking calmly out of the room with a vague sense of having said what she felt she had to say and a huge sense of fustration.

Shin followed half a minute behind, his father noticing this and yelling a shallow "you too!" at his back on the way out.

He could tell she was much more pissed off than she let on, and once she got outside the house this became evident, though after some harsh words and pushing her up against a wall they managed to find a suitable 'outlet' for this rage. Sloppy kisses and tight fumbles, he knew there was nowhere he'd rather be and graduation be dammed, everything would be all right if he had _her_.

* * *

End.

...

ish.

(Edited to make it fit in with earlier chapters :) oops, my bad)


End file.
